Luca offered Jenny and I an arm each as we walked out of the house. Once we got into Luca's car, Jenny turned to me and said, "Ask Scott to follow us."
Stacy: Ready to follow me to hell and back?
Scott: Guessing that means to follow Luca? Satan himself?
With a giggle, I texted back.
Stacy: Just drive the damn car.
We stopped at a gas station a few miles away from the estate and got out of the car. While I closed the door, a rush went through me as Scott turned me around and cupped my neck, pinning me against the door and slamming his lips against mine.
"For fuck's sake. Didn't you just do this?" asked Luca.
"So now what?" I asked, smiling shyly at Scott.
"Call this number. It's Grandpa Kendrick. He's a billionaire/veteran. Tell him you're his granddaughter. Tell him Jenny sent you if it helps and
There's this joke that goes, "I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness."If daddy was God, then Scott was my bike. And every single time I went back home was me asking for forgiveness for knowing him. Waking up in Scott's arms was bad for my resolve. I tried so hard to tell him last night that I was leaving, this time for good. But when I looked into his warm brown eyes and his goofy smile revealed his dimples, I lost my nerve. Now here I was, lying in his bed next to him, gently brushing his dark curls with my fingers, thinking about how much time we had left before my flight tonight. "You've accomplished absolutely nothing in the last seven years. It's time to come home," daddy had decreed. I couldn't exactly say he was wrong. With my father uprooting me every couple of months to come home and "Take care of business", I still hadn't declared a major. If I had, NYU likely would have academically excluded me by now. My
Kenny always says that I'm girlfriend goals for Scott, because we never argue. Well we were about to debunk that myth on the side walk of a busy New York road. "I have to go," I said, making my way to the door of the bakery. Conflicting thoughts went through my head. I knew, with absolute certainty, that the door to me coming back to New York or having any sort of life outside of being Luca's wife would close when I got on that plane. But what choice did I have now that I'd exposed Scott's existence to the entire mafia?"Stacy, wait," I heard Scott call out to me. I couldn't see his face, but I was so caught up in my own feelings that it wouldn't have mattered what he looked like anyway. Behind the fear and the paranoia, I was just exhausted. Trying to run from being Don Angelo's daughter had drained me. Something in me snapped and I exclaimed, "You're not going to change my mind. This wedding is happening." Even as I said the words, briskly walking to keep Scott from catching up
Earlier that day… "I think you're being a little bitch," said Willow, sipping on her smoothie. "You've said that already. Thanks for siding with your brother by the way," I said, nudging her gently. Not two hours after walking away from Stacy, I picked Willow up at the airport. She was here for the weekend, checking out NYU to see if she might want to go here next year and I was showing her around. Seeing Stacy upset had caused me physical pain, a tightening in my chest, but I needed to get away from her. It felt like there was nothing else to say. She was going to do what she was going to do. That was probably the anger talking, but I didn't want to hurt her by saying something I couldn’t take back. So I left. Now the whole thing was haunting me. "You didn't let me finish. You're being a little bitch and I think it's great. Fantastic in fact," Willow continued, as we walked the same paths I used to walk with Stacy. "I went on live television and declared how well I know her. Wel
"I'm home. Where's the new girl?" Kenny called out, the distinct rattle of his keys being set down on the counter reaching me in the living room. He walked into the room at the same time as Scott and the brunette. My insides turned and twisted in on itself when I saw Scott. We awkwardly looked away at the same time. "Stace? But you're supposed to be—" Kenny cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Nevermind her, we're going anywhere that's not here," said the brunette, grabbing her coat off the couch and forcing Kenny to backtrack. "We'll pick the one when I get back?" she said, looking back at me with a smile, sounding excited.It had taken me all this time to place her voice, having only ever heard it over Zoom calls. I took a step forward and looked her in the eye for the first time since getting here. "Willow Brady?" I exclaimed, covering up my surprise with a quick smile. "Yes, of course. I may have found you something even better than what we talked about."So this was the
"So what exactly do you do for the mafia that has your dad calling you back every couple of months?" Stacy scrunched up her face, hesitating. By now she had detailed her father's entire operation. What was one more thing? I knew more details than I was comfortable with knowing. Was knowing this shit safe? Sleep would not come easily tonight. This was the last question I got to ask Stacy before Kenny and Willow walked through the door at one in the morning. "Parrrr-ttttyyy," they howled together, stumbling through the door. "Willow Eleanor Brady, are you drunk?" I asked, getting up from my seat at the island to follow her into the living room. "I guess that's my cue to leave," Stacy mumbled behind me, taking the opportunity to get up too and duck her head. "Full naming me, I see cool bro mode is not active," said Willow, dragging Kenny's inebriated body to the couch and dumping him onto it."I'll see you both tomorrow," said Stacy, her eyes pleading for me not to ask my question a
"Boys are stupid," I said to no one in particular, as I entered my apartment. I couldn't really blame Scott for freaking out after everything I laid at his feet last night. Still, it would have been nice if Willow didn't find out like that. My past brought me no joy. In fact, I was ashamed of it. Now that it was all out there, I felt like Scott was judging me. How did he expect me to tell him my most personal shame? Aren't we all entitled to some secrets? As I went from the kitchen to the living room turning on the lights in the apartment, something immediately struck me. My study's door was open. I know I closed it before I went shopping with Willow this morning. The cushions on my couch were all at different angles. Passing the coffee table with quiet careful steps, I made my way over to the corner of the room where my bookshelf was located. I slid my fingers along the books until I found the one I wanted, pulled it out, opened it up and took my gun out of the hollowed out Physics
I watched her frame rise as she took a deep breath. I had turned the flash of my camera off after some nasty looks over her shoulder, but she was still painfully aware of me. How could she not be? It was a Sunday and this was a library. The place was a ghost town.Of course, I knew she would break any minute now, even if I was sitting a few chairs away from her. In the meantime, I wasn't complaining. It had been some time since I had last gotten a picture of her.She was sitting at a desk filled with textbooks, pulling her hair into a bun and piercing it with a pencil, before opening the book in front of her. It was her little ritual before she started studying. "Three, two, one," I counted her down. No sooner had I finished when she turned to me, her cheeks tinted a light pink, and whisper yelled, "Stop that. You're annoying me.""Permission to approach?" I asked.Not waiting for an answer, I jumped up and went to her. To piss her off just a little more, I took another snap, this ti
"You sure this is the place?" I asked, clocking the unmarked black van across the street. "Joey's not smart enough to bluff. He is ambitious though and he hates my guts. There's not much he wouldn't do to take me out of play as daddy's future heir. I'm not sure what we're walking into," said Stacy from next to me as we stood at the entrance of Hotel Topaz. "Yeah, I'm out," said Kenny on the other side of me, turning to walk away. I grabbed him by his suit jacket and pulled him back to the spot next to me."Sorry," said Kenny, fixing his collar before attempting to turn and make a run for it again. Just as he turned, he bumped into a man dressed in overalls, presumably some sort of service delivery man. This sent Kenny stumbling back, smack into me. "Sorry again," he said. "Look, I know this is scary. I'm terrified, but Willow is my sister and I don't really have much of a choice. If either of you wants out, I'll understand," I said, taking the invite Joey had given Kenny for us o
Luca offered Jenny and I an arm each as we walked out of the house. Once we got into Luca's car, Jenny turned to me and said, "Ask Scott to follow us."Stacy: Ready to follow me to hell and back?Scott: Guessing that means to follow Luca? Satan himself?With a giggle, I texted back.Stacy: Just drive the damn car.We stopped at a gas station a few miles away from the estate and got out of the car. While I closed the door, a rush went through me as Scott turned me around and cupped my neck, pinning me against the door and slamming his lips against mine."For fuck's sake. Didn't you just do this?" asked Luca."So now what?" I asked, smiling shyly at Scott."Call this number. It's Grandpa Kendrick. He's a billionaire/veteran. Tell him you're his granddaughter. Tell him Jenny sent you if it helps and
Everything I knew about making smart decisions told me this was the wrong choice. I was compromised, thinking with my heart instead of my head and Scott wasn't about to allow that to change.He raised his hands to my face and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears, then wrapped his arm around my waist so slowly I got frustrated. Gently pulling me forward, nudging my nose with his, he waited for me to look him in the eye so he could lay the moves on me. His patience was unrelenting, eventually winning me over and I looked up into his brown eyes. He flashed me his dimples and asked in a soft, doting voice, "Do I have you, Kendrick?"The big did he have her or not question was a popular time pass between Kenny and I. We made a drinking game out of whether or not Scott could land a girl using his stupid moves. How besotted was I that he hadn't needed them to land me?"You have some nerve, trying that shit o
"I know you don't want me here, but—" he began, his body pressed gently up close against mine as we swayed to the music."I'm glad you came," I said, not adding that he probably saved Jenny's life by showing up at the church."How did it go?" he asked, taking my cheeks into his hands to look into my eyes.These were our last moments. I didn't want to cry, pay attention to my heart being shredded or worry him. However long I could, I wanted to delay breaking his heart."Just dance with me, Scottie," I said, my eyes falling to his lips, tempted to claim them.I laid my head down on his chest and listened to his heart beat, pounding away fast. Still I didn't say another word and neither did he. I don't know how long I was in his arms, obsessing over how I'd never dance with him again. Hiding from him before the desperation to hear him speak again
With Don Angelo getting lost in the crowd, unable to help myself, I gingerly took steps to cross the room to go to Scott. He beamed at me reassuringly and my heart hurt. Was this how it would end? We deserved so much more. As the woman he loved, he deserved all that I was. Am. Will become. Everything that would always be his no matter where I was.&nbs
Scottie, you should have let me protect you, just this once. What the fuck would I do if he hurt you? Or worse, if he made me do it while he watched?As if reading my mind, Don Angelo seared images of how it would play out into my mind, saying, "Every time you even think of reassembling the dead man's switch, I want you to picture him on his knees. A gun in your hand, while I make you decide who gets to put a bullet in his brain, you or me. Not his knee caps or his elbows or his ankles like you prefer. His fucking brain. You will live the rest of your life knowing that you have defied me for the last time, all this was for nothing and you can't have Scott.""How do I know you won't just kill him anyway even if I come back to you?" I asked, defeat settling over me like I knew it would all along.
I followed his gaze to where Scott stood, talking to Jenny. For the next few seconds, I stopped being able to hear and my vision became blurry. Then Scott looked my way and I became fixated on his brown eyes. Everything else just fell away.Fuck that handsome face, those dimples and the silver tongue that had probably convinced Jenny to let you in the door, Scott Brady.When I came to and broke eye contact, wanting to respond to Don Angelo, the father daughter dance was already being announced and he was going out to meet Jenny. Scott's gaze found mine across the room again and he broke out into a smile that made me weak in the knees. I wanted to end him for showing up here, but damn if it wasn't good to see him.We did a little dance of him trying to get to me and me avoiding him like the plague. The last thing I needed was to be seen with him. I tried texting his dad again.
"I'm calling about the hit I put out on Jenny," he said and my head whipped over to him in shock. "Job's off. Repeat, don't kill my daughter," said Don Angelo, his cold eyes staring dead into my soul.My hands shook uncontrollably in my lap and I knew I was pale in the face.What the fuck was all that drama if he was just going to have her killed? And why did he decide against it? Was he bluffing about putting a hit out on her to scare me? Or was it a double bluff and he meant for me to know that he was going to kill her and there was nothing I could do about it? Fuck, he was in my head."Relax, erede. She'll live. Just like the deer you refused to kill on our first hunting trip. Remember?" he said, patting my hands with one of his.When I was unable to pull the trigger, he acted like it was no big deal. Only to take me home and make me watch while he beat the living cra
It was a power play. His way of showing me he was on my side. He was trying to get into my head. Acting like nothing had changed and it was still me and him against the world. Can't let him in."I'm sorry," said Joey, glaring daggers up at me."Leave. I want to catch up with my erede," said Don Angelo, dismissing Joey with the wave of a hand.There's nothing quite like the illusion of a father's love. Being made to feel important, before the other shoe dropped. It was fucking with my head. I had crossed so many lines, betrayal after betrayal and he was still calling me his heir. It scared the shit out of me. Little tremors went through my hands and I grabbed a hold of one with the other."So, how's life? Do I need to save the date for graduation yet or are you still exploring? Did you enjoy seeing Jenny and your mother again? That is why you chose New York in the first place, isn't
I sat myself down on a pew in the middle of the church. By now Don Angelo knew about the FBI auditing grandpa's company. The company in question was the closest Don Angelo ever got to going straight, when it was left to him in his father's will. My father wasn't a sentimental man, but it being the last thing his father gave to him made it special. So much so that he even kept it legit for a few years after it was bequeathed to him. Just like everything he touched though, it eventually became just another front for illegal activity. Still, to this day, it carries a special place in his stone cold heart. After a move like giving that to the FBI, he was going to find me no matter where I went. So I opted to make things easier on us both and put myself out in the open so he could find me easily. "Cute little trick, sending the feds to my doorstep," said Don Angelo, sitting down next to me ten whole minutes after I had put myself out there. That was him saying he already knew I was goi